Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

When dealing with social media platforms as spaces of activism these sites can be innovative, powerful, and fast-moving at best, and at its worst chaotic and unfocused. The line between these two distinctions is actually slighter than one might realize. This understanding of cyber activism became clearer when faced with the question “What is contemporary ‘blacktivism’ according to Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr/Instagram?”

Being a avid user of the popular blogging platform, Tumblr, and as such well-versed in the language and etiquette of the site, I sought my answer through my dashboard. Tumblr is composed of a endless scroll, comparable to Facebook’s newsfeed, that displays every user you ‘follow”s posts that can consist of either a link, photo, video, mp3, or text file that can be organized by ‘tags’. Like Twitter, there is a give and take between control: you cannot control what users post, but you can control who you follow. You ultimately build up the queue of information displayed on your dashboard.

This rule of thumb on Tumblr already an issue in itself, as it’s not only necessary to have an account to view such information, but it also requires stock knowledge of which users promote social activism the most. Already in this way, Tumblr blacktivism is exclusive in the broader sense of the term.  However because I am an established user of 5 years, this constraint only appeared in my thoughts after my study.

Taking into account the formatting and style of the website (and the advantage of 5 years of knowledge), I began my study of 30 minutes scrolling down my dashboard sure that out of my selected 500 some users one would surely post something under the activism tree. After about a minute of scrolling I saw a linked post that described the new case of Ebola in Liberia as an STD. The random post was one centered on awareness, not truly giving a solution to a possible rebirth of the Ebola crisis. And for a while this was the only post I saw. Because Tumblr is composed as a live feed, the minutes I scrolled down the dashboard before I encountered another post for social justice felt like eons.

It wasn’t until I encountered a post by a rather prominent Tumblr user in both the black and activist circles that my research progressed. This individual posted a series of inforgraphics that described the various levels of Israeli settlement on Palestinian territory, the fraught Palestinian citizenship across Israel and Palestine, and general problematic restriction of Palestinian people. The post was significantly informative as most portrayals of Palestine capitalize on the destruction of the Gaza Strip rather than the conditions that provide for this kind of environment, and the surrounding oppressions widespread through out the country. I then opened up another tab in my web browser to later peruse the user’s account, sure of the rich content in store, simultaneously still looking for another possible user to study. Right underneath their post Micdotcom, an active news source, posted GIFs of Porsha Olayiwola’s  poem that criticizes the misogynoir latent in police brutality discourse and the general dismissal of the pain black women face at the hands of black men.

Having at least two users under my belt and just ten minutes left of study, I decided to quickly delve deeper into each site. The first user’s activism centered mostly on the personal: crowdfunding for a poor black transwoman, a black family nearing homelessness, and written text posts that criticize various tangents of their multiple jeopardies as a queer transman of color. The text posts all had a least a thousand ‘notes’, which consisted of either likes or ‘reblogs’ (when users repost the content to their blogs). Furthermore you could see a constant rapport developing on these text posts that pursued discourse or fermented friendships. On this given users page the queer community of color was strong and accounted for. Switching tabs to Micdotcom, the website served as a curated collection of black internet activism across platforms. Screenshots of tweets raising awareness against recent police brutalities (#JusticeforJason, #SayHerName to name a couple), gifs of award shows and videos, news clips, and original Tumblr user posts decorated the page. Micdotcom served as a hub of generalized activism rather than specific black communal activist space.

It is in this way that Tumblr both triumphs and fails as a platform for social change. On one hand the site is a space for endless possibilities that allow for news sources and user-created online ‘zines to provide a constant stream of information crucial for social justice. These carefully curated hubs of information are a great start for both users and visitors of Tumblr. One does not need membership to view or message the copious amount of blogs present on the site. However their existence does not necessitate the existence of black community on Tumblr, individual users do. One would need to follow both prominent and random bloggers in the black community on Tumblr. These bloggers, your chosen informants, brothers, and sisters dictate your involvement with blacktivism. They raise causes for “Black Tumblr” to rally against, to raise money for, or even formally petition against on “Change.org”. These bloggers can help you through your journey of understanding matrices of oppression in your daily life, as well as navigate questions of gender/sexual/racial identity through direct messages, text posts, photos and videos open for commentary…..provided that you follow them. In addition to this slight oversight black users cannot be streamlined in the fighting of antiblackness. Some users are a part of “Queer Tumblr” or “Transgender Tumblr”or the dreaded “Barbershop Tumblr” (a part of Tumblr which is characterized by pro-black homophobic misogynoiristic users). Various pockets of Tumblr wholesale ignore some oppressions, such as colorism, to maintain their privilege and membership to the black community simultaneously. Tumblr can be a place rife with the schisms that plague physical activist spaces.

Ethical issues aside, in this sort of research Tumblr even fails in organization. Like Twitter it employs the hashtag system to organize posts, in order to make searches easier for users and non-users, however unlike Twitter, these tags are hardly agreed upon and are used liberally. Users sometimes use the tag system to input their commentary to protect the aesthetic integrity of a post. This so-called ‘talking in the tags’ makes for a chaotic black hole of information that can only be retrieved if you search that particular blogger’s archive. Tumblr has the potential to be a mess of epic proportion.

Ultimately Tumblr as a space for cyber black activism continuously toes the line of innovation and chaos. The ample opportunity for commentary and grassroot movement give Tumblr the chance to make virtual spaces of social justice bleed into the real world. However this is constantly mired by the disorganization, petty squabbles between users, and randomization of posts that is present on the site.

Word Count: 1138

 

Tags: ,

78,607 Responses to “Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources”

  1. At Uphold, we make it easy to buy and sell Bitcoin and ‘send’ any other major crypto. Choose between 200+ cryptos, national currencies and precious metals .Our digital money app features ‘Anything-to-Anything’ trading that means conversion directly from any asset into another – BTC to XRP, – in one single step.
    uphold wallet

  2. Competitionsuitshop is the well-known supplier of figure Competition Suits. They also offers competition day robes, competition jewelry and posing practice suits.

  3. Interesting blog! It provided us with valuable information. Keep up the good work!
    it is soo good

  4. My self Jessica miller, I am a content writer and provide help regarding tplink extender setup.

  5. There is certainly a lot to know about this issue. I like all of
    the points you made. 블랙잭사이트

  6. Thanks for Nice and Informative Post. This article is really contains lot more information about This Topic.
    Uphold Wallet

  7. ยกเลิก ค่า สิ โน ออนไลน์

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  8. This is your perfect opportunity to learn 우리카지노 and become a winner

  9. คา สิ โน ออนไลน์ โอน ผ่าน วอ เลท

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  10. indospamagz says:

    indospamagz

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  11. PG SLOT AUTO says:

    If you looking for money. Riches888 The best online games for you. PG SLOT AUTO Join with us make fun and make money with the big bonus everyday. The best way to become a rich man.
    PG SLOT AUTO

  12. Интернет Тенерифе

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  13. Sbobet Malaysia

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  14. elraqi says:

    This article is so interesting,thanks for sharing with us!!

  15. check https://lambangdaihocthat.com.vn/ I came across your site while browsing the sites. Really very nice post.Please keep doing such work.

  16. Introduction to Vectors

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  17. JOHNCLINTONN says:

    NICE POST BRO KEEP IT UP
    If you have applied all the fixes given here we are sure that by now your issue must have been resolved. If still, hp printer driver won’t install on windows 10 then it would we wise to contact the hp support to fix it. key:- 123.hp.com/setup oj4650 , hp oj4650 printer setup
    Link:- https://simplyassist.us/123-hp-com-setup-oj4650/

  18. alexponting says:

    Zenefits is one of the resourceful software’s that provide a range of HR solutions in an easy to manage platform. It provides strong business intelligence (BI) reporting, accurate employee records, and comprehensive benefits administration with good user experience. It primarily covers most of the administration needs of SMBs and startups.Zenefits integrates appreciably with QuickBooks and helps users in sending pay run entries within their QuickBooks accounts and helps in managing their books with data provided from their quickbooks zenefits integration. IIF file is defined as Intuit Interchange Format file, which is used to export or import QuickBooks Desktop data from one platform to another, for accurate accounts and better business management purposes.

  19. jasa foto produk dengan model

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  20. my bookie says:

    my bookie

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  21. Good About This Gig 500 unique domain blog comments with high da pa We Are Offering Manual DoFollow Bl0g C0mments On Unique Domains !! For Only $15. Try Our Seqvice Once, And You Would Never Want To Go To Any Other Blog C0mmenting Provider.

  22. Good I wanted to thank you for this excellent read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it. I have you bookmarked your site to check out the new stuff you post.

  23. Motorrad Verkaufen

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  24. Mark Twin says:

    Where Can I Load My Cash App Card To Add The Required Money?
    To be acquainted with the right guidance and support to know about Where Can I Load My Cash App Card, you have landed on the right place where you can clarify it in an easy language. Apart from that, if you have some queries and difficulties in finding out a reliable source of information about the same, it would be good to contact the Cash App customer care executives who are always at your disposal to provide you with the right guidance and support.

  25. That is a pretty great post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say that I have enjoyed browsing your weblog posts. In any case, I will be subscribing to your RSS feed, and I hope you write again soon!

  26. Escort Services in Bangalore provide By AshikaSoni. Here you get all type of Female Escort Call Girls at very affordable rate. We are offering College girl Escorts, models, celebrity escorts, housewife escorts, Russian escorts and Much more. Our Services is open 24/7.

  27. Aile hukuku; aileye ilişkin her türlü konuyu düzenleyen, Türk Medeni Kanununda yer alan bir hukuk dalıdır. Aile hukuku özet olarak evlilik hukuku olarak da tanımlanabilir. Toplum içindeki düzen ve aile birliğinin korunmasını amaçlamaktadır. Ofisimiz konusunda uzmanlaşmış, deneyimli Ankara boşanma avukatı olarak her zaman yanınızdadır.

  28. fahadhussain says:

    Interesting and interesting information can be found on this topic here profile worth to see it. our website

  29. What do investment bankers do? As the most common jobs in the financial industry, investment bankers help large corporations and startups raise money for a variety of purposes. They work closely with companies to prepare for major mergers and acquisitions. They also advise clients on the most lucrative investment options. An investment banker will be required to travel frequently to meet with clients, present information, and make presentations. Here are some of the most common roles of an investor.

  30. Sterling silver is a type of metal alloy. Typically, it is 92.5% pure and contains 7.5% other metals. The pure metal is too soft to be used alone, and it is not recommended for jewelry making. Fine silver, on the other hand, is more durable and malleable, which makes it a good choice for investment purposes. Both are favored by many designers, but sterling is more expensive than fine silver.

  31. There are several differences between an LLC and a corporation. An LLC is a separate legal entity with separate management and owners. The members are a company or individuals. A corporation is a legal entity that has one owner, not many. The members are not personally liable for any debts of the business. As a result, an LLC is not a good choice for unsecured debt. However, it can be useful if you have a large amount of personal debts. You can use the same method to secure your personal debts.

  32. When you’re looking to short sell stocks, you’ll need to borrow shares from a stock broker at a given price. Then, you’ll sell them on the market and repay your lender. Short selling involves betting that a stock’s value will fall before it is fully repaid. If the stock’s price doesn’t fall, you’ll make a profit by buying it back at a lower price.

  33. When you’re ready to begin a Guest posting campaign, there are a few things you need to do to get started. First, make sure your content is quality. If you aren’t writing about your own business, it is probably best to focus on other people’s sites. That way, you’ll stand out from the competition. Make sure your author bio connects back to your website, and includes a link to your own site or call to action. Also, be sure to follow up with your publisher after publishing your post so they can help promote your article.

  34. If you are an esteemed customer of the Sportsman’s Outdoor Warehouse, then grab this chance to win exclusive Sportsman’s Warehouse Gift Card. Yes guys, whether you are an esteemed customer or a newbie to the Sportsman’s Warehouse, this will be the best opportunity to share your feedback.

  35. Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital
    to assert that I get in fact enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I will be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently rapidly.what happened to all of griselda blanco money

  36. Royal essays says:

    Every moment of it is giving me great pleasure. The notion to share this amazing website is excellent. I would like to express my appreciation. You performed a superb job! You guys have a great blog with some really good content. Keep up the fantastic work.

  37. Dump Truck Service NEAR ME

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  38. It was quite good. I would like to say that this write-up very compelled me to try and do it!

  39. This is a very helpful website for me. Am I love it. Good Luck for the Future dear.
    for More Feedback – IUI Treatment in Delhi

  40. Your write up are actually very lovely.. i love to visit your blog time to time.. keep up with the good work.. griselda blanco death

  41. Thank You for such wonderful site. I am very luck to find you. Keep it up. Buddy.

    Best Gynecologist Hospital In Delhi

  42. I really enjoyed reading your essay. I found this post to be both intriguing and educational, thus I think it is both informative and beneficial.

  43. suzanjack says:

    Sanderstead Mini Cabs Taxis are one in the most professional private Hire firms in South Croydon, covering All of Croydon and surrounding areas for more than 30 years.
    We are a Fixed charge – NO terrible Fare after mid night and we are open 24/7, every day 365 days a year.We cover all Airports like Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, London City, and Stansted Airport at a minial price Hurry up book your taxi call 02086862777 also reach our website.

    https://www.expresscouriercars.co.uk

  44. pinoyseoservices.com

    like water for chocolate » Blog Archive » Methodologies V: Using and Analyzing Digital Media Sources

  45. Usually I don’t read article on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very compelled me to try and do it!
    Your writing taste has been amazed me. Thank you, very nice article.

    Also visit my web site …카지노사이트

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.